Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Residents near Cheong Wa Dae irked by 'ceaseless' rallies
Conservative groups hold massive rally in central Seoul in protest against the Moon Jae-in administration and the recent cancellation of GSOMIA, a trilateral military intelligence sharing pact with U.S. and Japan, Saturday. Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
Living near Cheong Wa Dae should mean heightened safety but residents are finding themselves having to deal with increasing volume from protests. Residents near the presidential office are seeking to reclaim their right to live peacefully, urging protesters to refrain from staging gatherings.
A residents' committee plans to hold a silent vigil at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in front of the Cheongunhyoja-dong Community Service Center where participants will read a letter and silently march on the streets without chanting to ask protesters to restrict rallies.
“It is difficult to live around here as there is continuous chanting using loudspeakers late at night and early in the morning,” a committee member said. “There is freedom of protest so we can't stop them, but for the sake of the residents we will hold a silent vigil to make our hardships known.”
“Cheongunhyoja-dong is right beside Cheong Wa Dae so there is high security and it used to be quiet. But since November 2016, right before the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, the nation allowed protests to be held up to 100 meters from the presidential office, so it has been surrounded by protesters ever since,” the committee added.
In August 2017, the residents held a silent protest calling for the restriction of rallies in their area and submitted a petition to the police. But as there have been no improvements, they decided to hold another rally.
In recent years, protests near Cheong Wa Dae have been endless with some labor groups conducting “sleep out” rallies, as well as conservative groups holding weekend rallies and protests in the area.
“I have lived here for over 40 years, but recently there have been endless protests that makes me want to move. Traffic is restricted during the weekend due to the protests, so it is difficult to go elsewhere,” a resident living near Cheong Wa Dae told a local news outlet.
“My child is five years old but many times he wakes up because of the loudspeakers at the protests. There are even protestors that sleep out so we are scared to walk around at night,” another resident said.
The groups that are hosting the protests are well aware of the residents' hardships.
“We are well aware of the residents' hardships and we always feel sorry for that. We made requests to individual industry unions to avoid times the residents are resting so there will be less noise,” an official from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said.